


Static

by hunnyfresh



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-10 09:31:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/784526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnyfresh/pseuds/hunnyfresh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from Tumblr: When Regina disappears after the death of her mother, Emma needs to find her. When Henry's walkie talkie goes missing, Emma is desperate enough to believe that Regina has it and is listening on the other line</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters.
> 
> AN: Prompt from Tumblr: set after The Miller's Daughter - Regina disappears after Cora's death and Emma attempts to use her walkie talkie to find her. To the anon, I didn't reply because I didn't want to give away the ending which is why the full prompt isn't given. Thanks for the great prompt though! Some events may be out of order.

Emma couldn't take it anymore. Mary Margaret was moping, having not moved from her spot under the covers since David had carried her home four days prior after their little battle with the Mills women in Gold's pawn shop. Henry was off with Neal, and when he wasn't, he was busy redesigning the blueprints of his new and improved anti-Regina apartment. And David, well, he was his usual self which was aggravating enough. She could barely stand the man before she found out he was her father, but now, he looked at her like she would crawl into his lap and ask for a bed time story.

She had had enough of this nonsense, and to make matters worse, after Regina had magicked herself and her mother's lifeless body away, she hadn't been seen or heard from since. It set the townspeople on edge, which made them constantly bombard the Saviour which made Emma feel suffocated. The only way to solve this problem was by finding Regina.

So she looked.

It was what she was good at. She went to the obvious locations first. The Mills mansion remained empty like a show home. Everything was neat and orderly, Regina's files alphabetized in a drawer in her office, her kitchen spotless. Henry's room was eerily tidy for an eleven-year old's, a wall dedicated to his comics and his walkie talkie sitting on his nightstand next to an Iron Man lamp, and Regina's room was lavish and cold as the Queen who once slept in it.

Next stop was Town Hall, but like the mansion, there was no sign of Regina other than the fact that everything in the room from the black and white forest wallpaper to the forms waiting patiently on her desk to be signed screamed Regina.

Next she went to the cemetery, feeling almost disrespectful for entering the tomb, but she needed these crazy fairy tale characters off her back. She found nothing, save for two caskets laying side by side.  _Here lies Henry and Cora Mills, beloved Father and Mother._

Emma almost felt bad for snorting. There was nothing beloved about Cora Mills, but standing by the caskets, Emma suddenly felt guilty. She had heard what had happened, of course. What Mary Margaret had done in order to get Regina to kill her own mother, and even Emma had to admit, that was cruel beyond belief. Sighing at another place empty, Emma spread her search throughout Storybrooke, keeping an eye out for cropped brunette hair and a nasty disposition.

Her search had ended, and still Snow was huddled in her bed with a doteful Charming by her side, and Henry was still sketching an armoury, and the crazy citizens were still demanding Regina's head on a platter. So Emma repeated her search the next day, this time starting with the town before returning to the cemetery, Town Hall and the mansion.

It was there she noticed an interesting development. The office and kitchen still remained pristine, but she noticed a difference in Henry's room. She couldn't place her finger on what it was exactly. Iron Man still gave light to frightened little boys, the wall was still stacked with comics, though a few seemed to stick out like someone had rifled through them, and, Emma noticed walking quickly to the stand, the walkie talkie was gone.

* * *

"Hey." Emma nudged Henry as he sat at the breakfast bar. "Did you stop by your house recently?"

Henry gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean? I've been home all week."

"I mean on Mifflin," the blonde explained.

Henry furrowed his brow as if asking why on earth he would go back there. "Oh. No."

"You haven't seen your mom?"

"You're my mom."

"I know, kid," Emma said exasperated. "Regina's your mom too, and she hasn't really been seen since the pawn shop thing."

"Is she okay?" The boy asked attempting to hide the concern from his face.

Emma just shrugged, unsure what to tell him. "I'm sure she's fine."

Their sorry excuse of a dinner consisting of cereal and toast continued silently until Henry left for the day bed in the corner to sleep for the night.

It still unnerved Emma that Regina would disappear like this. The last time this happened, she had accused the former Mayor of murder. Finding out the truth, Emma reasoned she would find the brunette and apologize but the circumstances surrounding her impromptu trip to Manhattan followed by the attack from the Mills women left the Sheriff with little time to even speak to the adoptive mother of her son let alone apologize. Now Regina was missing again.

She didn't even want to think about what would happen to Regina if someone else found her first. If there was anything she learned growing up, and judging by the narrow minded town she currently resided in, people were unforgiving.

* * *

She stared at her own walkie talkie after another week of coming up with nothing. The complaints of the residents were dying down, but all it would take was one unexpected reappearance from the missing brunette before all hell broke loose. She was desperate. What were the odds Regina had the other one, let alone it being on?

Shrugging, Emma made sure her door was shut before grabbing the communicator and climbing out of her bedroom window to sit on the fire escape.

She held the button on the side before lifting the device to her mouth. "Hey. Regina? Look I don't even know if you have the other one or if you're listening or if you're just hiding or something, but I'm the Sheriff so it's kind of my job to find missing people."

She released the button and held her breath, mentally going over what she had said. Static sounded from the speaker, as if someone had pressed the talk button but thought better of it. She furrowed her brow looking at the device before bringing it to her lips again. "Regina? Whoever this is, answer right now."

She eyed the walkie talkie and waited. Nothing.

Frustrated, she held the button with more force than necessary. "I know you have this, Regina. I saw it in Henry's room and now it's gone, so you better come clean to me before someone else finds you, and I can't guarantee they'll be as lenient as me."

Nothing.

Grumbling and tossing the walkie talkie through the open window onto her bed, Emma climbed back into the apartment. "Suit yourself."

* * *

"Any luck?" David asked as he donned his gun holster.

Emma shook her head.

"Maybe she's gone for good this time," her father said. "About time."

Emma tilted her head to the side and glanced up the stairs to make sure Henry was still in the shower. "She had to kill her mother. Regina could be face down in a ditch somewhere for all we know."

David glanced at a huddled Mary Margaret before approaching his daughter and lowering his voice. "I know that sounds bad, but if you knew the evil that she did-"

"More evil than getting kids to kill their own parents?"

The man gave her a stern look. "Her disappearance is for the best. You don't have to worry about her taking Henry, and the town will get over her. You'll see."

"Right," Emma said dryly as she grabbed Henry's bag just as her son was coming down the stairs.

* * *

"You're not lying in a ditch somewhere, are you?" Emma asked into the walkie talkie that night. "'Cause that would suck explaining that to Henry."

She paused hoping to hear static one more time just to make sure she wasn't crazy.

"Look, I heard about your mom," Emma said slowly into the walkie talkie. She took a breath before continuing. "What Snow did, I-"

She paused mentally scorning herself. Regina was stubborn and a woman who refused anyone's pity. "I just don't think you should be alone right now. At least let Henry know you're okay?"

Static. Emma held her breath wondering if she'd get a response, but just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

* * *

Emma paced her bedroom the next night staring at the walkie talkie on the bed. For the past two nights, the blonde felt more than a little ridiculous talking to the black electronic in the hopes that Regina was receiving the messages only to get back silence.

Her suspicions were confirmed when that morning, Emma and Henry opened their apartment door to find the latest issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and The Runaways trade. Henry had beamed, hugging Emma around the middle before scooping up his newest comics, already rifling through them, but the blonde just stared dumbfounded at the spot recounting last night's words.

_At least let Henry know you're okay._

The Sheriff paused her track, convinced she'd wear a groove in the old hardwood from her pacing before grabbing the walkie talkie again.

"Thank you," Emma rushed out, uncertain why that was the first thing she said. "Henry loves the comics."

* * *

Like for the past three nights, Emma sat with the walkie talkie cradled in her lap as soon as everyone had gone to bed. David had finally wrangled Mary Margaret out of her bed where the town embraced her with open arms deeming she could do no wrong. It was more than a little infuriating.

"I don't know where you are, but if you're still in town, and I'm pretty sure you are, you've probably heard the victorious cry of the people as soon as Snow saw daylight again." She paused hoping to hear something but continued when she didn't. "I know she's my mom, but that's bullshit. I mean, there's lines you don't cross."

She waited, releasing the button before continuing. "I went to your family tomb looking for you. I saw your mom's casket."

Emma released the button, taking a moment to imagine Regina disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke with her mother's body in her arms. Regina burying her last living relative in the tomb that provided the only safe haven from a town that both feared and hated her.

It was a strange place to be in for Emma. Looking for Regina moved to the back burner since she actually had to sheriff the town, but it was difficult to both feel sorry for the woman while also being angry that she was the cause of her less than fortunate childhood.

"I uh- yeah. I thought you would have been there." Emma scratched the back of her head. "Look if you come out I'm not gonna throw you in jail and I'm sure no one's going to hurt you. They're too scared for that. That's why they want me to look for you even though I have bigger problems."

Emma stopped herself, feeling her inner thoughts surface before shaking her head at her own sliver of vulnerability and moving the walkie talkie onto her night stand.

* * *

Emma paced up and down the stairs of the fire escape as she yelled into the walkie talkie. "You better not be up to no good, Regina. August almost died today, and he specifically said 'she' and the fact that you've been gone for almost three weeks and are some great and powerful witch doesn't make these people any more forgiving. God, people are convinced you've returned. Is it too much to ask that you come out of your little hole?"

She huffed, finally releasing the button willing someone to respond.

"Seriously?" She said into the device. "Is your pride too big to actually answer me or would you rather see me in person just to curse my ass? Because if you want to do that then come on out."

She waited again before pulling at her hair, almost missing the last step of the iron stairs and holding tightly to the railing to prevent herself from falling. "You know Henry thinks it's you too. I mean 'she'. That's like the biggest clue ever, and 'she' killed a wooden man! A man made out of wood died without fire and you have magic. Do you know what that looks like?"

She waited longer this time for a reply, but just like always she was met with silence. "Fine."

* * *

Emma didn't go to the walkie talkie the next night, still infuriated with the distinct possibility that Regina had surfaced and was on a rampage. The only reason she went to the device the following night was because she was in desperate need of someone to talk to.

"Everyone's convinced you're back," she said quietly into the electronic as she sat huddled on her window sill. "And Henry, he's been hanging out with Neal all the time, and it's so difficult to get him to do anything."

Emma laughed at the irony. "It's no wonder the kid is stubborn based on me and you."

She sat quietly watching the sun set casting a pink glow to the sleepy town. "David and the dwarves, they've been working on something, but I don't know what, but I can hear them when they're over. They think I'm gonna find you eventually and justice will prevail."

Emma said the last part dryly, the words bitter on her tongue as she quoted one of the dwarves. "This Saviour crap is for the birds. I mean I already broke your freaking curse. What else do they want? For us to hold hands and sing songs around a tree like the Grinch gave Christmas back?"

Emma's hand unconsciously tensed around the walkie talkie. "I didn't realize how big this was, this whole battle between good and evil. I feel like I'm straddling the line when everyone else thinks I'm so on board with my parents."

"I just-" Emma's voice cracked much to her dismay. She took a while composing herself, sniffling unshed tears as the burden of everyone's happy endings embedded firmly on her shoulders. "Could you help me out by making me not look?"

Silence.

* * *

"Regina," Emma said frantically into the walkie talkie. "I know you can hear me, and seriously, you give a whole new meaning to the cold shoulder, but Henry  _needs_  you."

She waited, thinking just hearing Henry's name would be enough to bring the woman out of hiding. She had heard nothing, literally, but not even static since the night before the comics showed up. Ever since that night, no more comics had appeared on their doorstep, and the speaker on the black device remained tragically silent for over a month.

A month where Emma had been talking to an invisible person, sometimes ranting, sometimes just asking where she was, but always would she be met with silence.

Emma slumped on the wall, letting her legs slide out as she sat on the floor of her room with the walkie talkie in her lap. She made no effort to bring it up to her lips, only holding the button down as she spoke quietly.

"He's getting irritable," the blonde confessed. "He makes faces whenever I pour cereal for dinner, he got mad at me because I got the wrong comics. The kid had this horrible nightmare last night, and I tried to calm him down, but he pushed me off and just made this hot milk and vanilla thing. Did you used to do that for him?"

Silence.

"He's spending the night with Neal. I'm not thrilled about it, but I think I get it. Someone taking your kid from you. I get it." Emma sighed. "He won't say it, but he misses you. He keeps trying to bring up if I've found you yet, and I see him go out of his way to walk by your place."

Emma let the feeling of being an inadequate mother settle deep down within her. The look on Henry's face when she attempted to give him strawberries made her feel almost as guilty as the fact that she didn't know her son had an allergy. She made it a point to let Neal know of such a thing, but at this point, the man could do no wrong with the kid.

"You should come home," Emma whispered. "If you do and happen to put a few of the dwarves in the hospital I'll promise I'll say it was self-defense."

After a long while where Emma sat ruminating in her own insecurities she held the talk button one more time. "I hope you're okay."

* * *

"It's not you," Emma said almost excitedly into the walkie talkie. "You're not the 'she'."

The blonde slumped down hard on the bottom steps of the fire escape catching her breath. "I think it's Tamara. She's up to something, and I can just tell she lied to me."

Emma stopped herself to realize she was relieved that the 'she' who had attacked August was not Regina. True, no one else believed that, but something deep inside Emma's bones made her realize that Regina was innocent. "I need your help. I don't know how to catch her, but I know it's not you."

After a beat of silence Emma spoke confidently into the device. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for thinking that it was."

Silence.

"Just, if you could help me trap her or something, I promise I'll put the people who try to hurt you in jail." Emma promised quietly, her tone every inch of seriousness as she was. "She's bad news, Regina. I just know it."

* * *

Emma toyed with the walkie talkie in her hand. She had yet to speak into it, but as she sat outside, her thoughts racing from what she witnessed hours earlier, she didn't really know what to say.

After much deliberation she spoke into the device. "My parents want to leave. To the Enchanted Forest. David and the dwarves, they've been harvesting magic beans."

She snorted at the ridiculousness of her statement before pressing the button again. "God, what is this town doing to me? No wonder you wiped everyone's memory. Everyone is insane. If I had known fairy tale people were this hard headed I would have avoided them all together as a kid."

She played with the device again, longer this time. Upon seeing the bean field, Emma's life seemed to flash before her eyes. Gone was her car, her hot showers and her cell phone. Instead, there'd be poofy dresses, being a lady, and Chimaera. She had seen The Princess Diaries growing up, and it was not fun and games transforming into a princess. She didn't want to leave, but everyone else wanted to go.

"They want to go back. Even Henry does," Emma admitted sadly. "How am I gonna tell the kid I don't want to go? And if I tell him he's gonna pull the Saviour crap, and how it's my destiny to go and rule the people and bring everyone's happy endings back."

Emma shook her head flustered. "I don't want to be the Saviour. How am I gonna rule a freaking kingdom when I can't even remember to set my alarm at night?

"I'm no queen. I'm no princess." Emma toyed with her circular pendant around her neck. "I'm just me. No one seems to get that. They don't get that I'm not this perfect child and I've never been. They see me and see Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter.

"They labelled you too, didn't they?" Emma asked quietly after a moment of silence. "I've heard you've done bad things, but so have I, and I got the Saviour title. We could switch if you want? You're better at all this pressure and stuff."

Silence.

"I wouldn't want to switch either if I were you. If you're the Evil Queen, you can only get better," the blonde said, looking out to the sky that was slowly brightening from the rising sun. "If you're the Saviour, you have to be perfect."

Emma laughed to herself. "Isn't it weird that you're the perfectionist with everything in control and everything planned, but  _I'm_  the Saviour? The fates must have gotten confused when they crossed our paths."

Emma leaned her head against the stair case railing, the sky pink and orange. "You should see the sun wherever you are. It's really nice. It almost feels like a normal day."

By the time Emma moved to go back inside when she heard her parents move up and about, she pressed the talk button one more time. "Stay safe, Regina. Not everyone wants you dead."

* * *

Emma ran into her room, lifting the mattress where she hid her walkie talkie, her fingers stumbling to press the talk button. "Regina! I don't have time for you to be quiet this time, okay? Henry needs help."

Nothing.

"I was right. Tamara's bad, and she's working with Greg, and they took Henry!" Emma held her breath waiting for a response. She growled when none came. She didn't have time for this. She dropped the walkie talkie unceremoniously onto her bed before moving to her bedside drawer to retrieve her spare gun.

Just as she was turning to walk out of her room, the walkie talkie crackled.

" _Emma?_ "


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in Chapter One
> 
> AN: Wow, the response to this is absolutely amazing. I knew the prompt was something special when I saw it, and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it as well. Thank you so much for all the alerts, favourites and reviews. I hope you enjoy this!

Regina stood outside her home in the late hours of the evening, looking up at the ominous mansion that was now empty, had been empty for some time ever since Henry had brought Emma to Storybrooke. With her mother gone and Henry avoiding her at all costs, the mansion was just an empty shell like the woman who stood outside looking up at it.

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Regina wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, refusing to let any more tears fall, at least for now. She entered the house easily enough, not bothering with the lights when she made a beeline up the stairs towards her bedroom.

She purposely held her gaze down when she passed the guest room. Despite her sight being saved from heartbreak, still she could smell the floral musk that was her mother's perfume. She almost half-expected Cora to come out of the room, her hair down and dressed in her night gown asking Regina where she had been, like a parent catching their teenager sneaking in after curfew. For a brief moment in the back of Gold's pawn shop, Regina truly believed she was able to start over with her mother, but now, just like everyone else in her life, she was gone.

She held her breath to push the smell from her senses, and when she finally made it to her room, she shut the door firmly behind her. It was quick work magicking necessities and clothes to her hideout under her family's tomb, but Regina found herself lingering just a little bit.

She dawdled in the hallway, stopping by a portrait of Henry that sat proud on a side table, the face of the boy encased behind the glass beaming up at his mother behind the camera. Her fingers caressed his cheek, but she quickly ripped them away for fear of getting her hopes up from the simple photograph.

Out of impulse, Regina allowed herself a brief moment into Henry's room, almost feeling like a stranger in her own home, in her son's room. She stood in the middle, letting the moon cast its glow on his many treasures. Finally her feet remembered their purpose, and she allowed herself to walk around the room, most likely for the last time. Her fingers trailed on his desk, moving over to his wall of many comics, still protected in its plastic wrap to keep their condition.

She grinned recalling the hours they had spent one weekend years ago, alphabetizing and organizing his collection and creating little headings on the shelf to help the boy find his favourites more easily. By now his comics had doubled in size, but Regina had planned for such. Now the wall was stacked, and she remembered talking to him months ago in an attempt to salvage their relationship that they should build a bigger shelf. The boy had shrugged indifferent and donned his backpack before heading off to school.

She fingered through the comics, pulling out a few of her own favourites to keep with her, to have a little piece of Henry with her. When she turned, her eyes zeroed in on the walkie talkie that Emma had given him. The one that kept them bonded even when Regina had directly forbade him from seeing her.

She growled, marching over to the nightstand and gripping the device tightly, wanting to throw it, smash it against the wall. But what would that do? That wouldn't bring Henry back to her. It'd anger him that she broke it.

Her tension eased, but she continued clutching the walkie talkie and few comics as if they would keep her to Henry. Maybe he'd come looking for her. Perhaps he'd look for his comics anyhow, and maybe if he knew she had this blasted device, he'd find a way to contact her.

Maybe.

* * *

It had been a week, and Henry hadn't come looking for her. Regina lay down on a chaise in her hideout, an arm over her eyes willing her mind to calm from her own harmful thoughts.

What was she supposed to do now? No one was looking for her. No one wanted her. Everyone who ever loved her had died because of her. Perhaps it was best that Henry stayed away. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her son, and with her luck, he'd meet the same fate as her parents and fiancé.

She removed her arm when she heart static and a tinny voice coming though the speaker of the radio. Sitting up frantically, Regina scrambled to the table where the black device sat.

" _\- if you have the other one or if you're listening or if you're just hiding or something, but I'm the Sheriff so it's kind of my job to find missing people._ "

Regina stared at the electronic before pushing the button to talk, but just as quickly, she released it, not wanting the blonde to bring her idiot parents with her if she somehow found out where she was hiding. She couldn't promise anything wouldn't happen to Snow if she got close enough.

" _Regina? Whoever this is, answer right now._ "

She rolled her eyes at the authoritative voice. The Sheriff was clearly a Charming.

" _I know you have this, Regina. I saw it in Henry's room and now it's gone, so you better come clean to me before someone else finds you, and I can't guarantee they'll be as lenient as me._ "

Scoffing, Regina tossed the walkie talkie onto a lounge chair before going back to her chaise, ruminating in her inner turmoil as if no interruption had occurred.

* * *

Regina had made herself a small dinner, finally able to hold down some type of meal when the radio crackled to life again.

" _You're not lying in a ditch somewhere, are you? 'Cause that would suck explaining that to Henry._ "

Regina rolled her eyes and continued to cut into her chicken. Oh, wouldn't the Charmings just love if she was dead.

" _Look, I heard about your mom. What Snow did, I-_ "

Regina slammed her knife and fork down, getting up to silence the blonde Saviour from even thinking about her mother. Her hand hovered over the device when Emma spoke again.

" _I just don't think you should be alone right now. At least let Henry know you're okay?_ "

Regina held her breath, stilling her hand. Why would Emma say that? Why would she even care about Regina being alone? She had been alone all her life, and she was damned used to it. But was Henry really worried about her?

She paced the length of the room, chewing on her thumb nail. She had to let Henry know she was okay somehow. That last thing she wanted to do was upset him further.

The thought milled about her head all evening until she decided to put her son's mind at ease. Early the following morning, the brunette woman clouded herself in purple smoke, transforming into the owner of the comic shop. She let herself in, grabbing the latest issues of Henry's favourites, leaving enough money in the register to cover the bill, then quickly transported to Emma's apartment.

She heard voices inside as she bent down to place the comics on the step. Emma was yelling up at Henry to come downstairs or he'd be late. David was reminding his daughter that she had an extended shift today. The heavy gait of Henry running down the iron steps sounded just beyond the aged wooden door.

It pained Regina to realize how settled into a family Henry had become in such a short time. Glancing down at the comics she had purchased, she briefly wondered if the blonde had only brought up his name to get a response from her.

She didn't have time to think when she heard footsteps sound closer to the door. By the time the purple smoke had disappeared from the hallway, along with the brunette woman, Emma and Henry had opened the door to find a nice surprise for the eleven-year old.

* * *

Regina paced the length of the table, eyeing the walkie talkie that rested on it. She had been waiting all day for it to spring with life. Surely Henry would see the comics as a gesture of good will and seek to contact her.

She wasn't prepared when Emma's voice sounded, thanking her for the comics on Henry's behalf.

Regina held herself tightly staring at the small thing that seemed to be her only source to the outside world. She waited with bated breath, rushing to clutch the radio in both hands waiting for Henry's voice.

It never came.

* * *

Regina threw the walkie talkie at one of her many mirrors. The glass shattered, her reflection tearing into pieces before crumpling to the ground in heaps, the radio cover cracking open from the force. Despite its damage, the damn thing still worked, though the blonde's account of precious Snow White finally coming out from hiding was interrupted with static and buzz, the wires within the device hanging out at awkward angles.

She stepped on the glass as if it were nothing more than part of the parquet tile as she hovered over the crackling radio.

" _-but - zzz - bull - zzz - . I mean - zzz - you - zzz - cross_."

She breathed heavily, angry that Snow had gotten a reprieve from what  _she_  did when Regina's own past couldn't be forgiven.

She sucked her teeth as the radio continued to crackle and buzz with incoherent speech. The next time she had a chance to end Snow White, she'd take it.

It was only when Regina heard Emma mention something about her mother did Regina quickly wave her hand over the broken device, fixing it like it was brand new. Apparently her ears had deceived her for Emma was offering a condescending Charming offer.

" _Look if you come out I'm not gonna throw you in jail and I'm sure no one's going to hurt you. They're too scared for that. That's why they want me to look for you even though I have bigger problems_."

Regina turned, going to her cider table and pouring herself a generous amount. She swirled the liquid in the glass before downing it in one go.

What did Emma Swan know about problems? Did she have a price on her head? All the blonde princess had were parents,  _her_  son, and all of Storybrooke at her beck and call.

The Saviour could do no wrong. The Evil Queen, on the other hand, was thrown to the piranhas. Emma had no idea how good she had it.

* * *

" _You better not be up to no good, Regina. August almost died today, and he specifically said 'she' and the fact that you've been gone for almost three weeks-_ "

Regina growled, pacing her hideout with a cider in her grasp as she glared at the walkie talkie.

"Of course it was me, wasn't it?" Regina huffed to the device as Emma continued her rant, Regina starting up one of her own as she slammed her glass on the table, liquid sloshing out the side and began pacing with her hands on her hips. "I'm the Evil Queen, so I'm the only one in this godforsaken town who is capable of any kind of wrong doing."

" _-would you rather see me in person just to curse my ass? Because if you want to do that then come on out._ "

"Need I remind you that Ruby ate her True Love, Rumpelstiltskin is still on the loose, and your  _mother_  had me kill mine!" Regina screamed at the device as if the Sheriff were standing right in front of her.

There was a moment of mutual silence between both women. Regina panted heavily, her body tense and her fists clenched ready to burn a whole in any unsuspecting object.

The radio finally sprung to life again. " _You know Henry thinks it's you too._ "

Regina held her breath, all tension gone and immediately filled with fear. Fear that her son hated her for a crime she didn't commit. Again.

" _I mean 'she'. That's like the biggest clue ever, and 'she' killed a wooden man! A man made out of wood d-_ "

Regina shut off the walkie talkie, unable to listen any longer before sitting down hard at the table, her head on her arms as she released a sob.

* * *

It was habit now, listening in on the walkie talkie as Emma ranted about her day. Most days it was amusing, the blonde flustered with living with her overprotective parents and, even Regina could attest to this, her nosy son, but today, Regina could hear the quiet strain in Emma's voice.

" _They think I'm gonna find you eventually and justice will prevail._ "

Even Regina could hear the mocking snark in the blonde's voice, and against her better judgment, Regina brought the walkie talkie with her as she leaned back against her chaise, silently listening.

" _This Saviour crap is for the birds. I mean I already broke your freaking curse. What else do they want?_ "

They want you to solve all their problems like the simpletons they are, the brunette mentally answered. Regina recalled how many times she sat in court listening to the better off peasants beg for more, and Leopold, being the kind and gracious king he was, spoiled them rotten.

" _I didn't realize how big this was, this whole battle between good and evil. I feel like I'm straddling the line when everyone else thinks I'm so on board with my parents. I just-_ "

Regina sat up slightly, narrowing her eyes at the radio. Did she just hear Emma sniffle? Was the blonde crying?

There was nothing but dead air before Emma returned asking for Regina to come out of hiding. There was no mistaking it that time.

Emma's voice had cracked.

Regina stared hard at the electronic thoroughly confused. Perhaps being the Saviour wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

* * *

" _Regina, I know you can hear me, and seriously, you give a whole new meaning to the cold shoulder, but Henry_ needs _you._ "

Regina was just transporting back from a grocery run, getting rid of her bag girl disguise and letting her groceries fall carelessly on the table, she rushed to the walkie talkie, ready to ask what was wrong with Henry when Emma spoke again.

" _He's getting irritable. He makes faces whenever I pour cereal for dinner, he got mad at me because I got the wrong comics. The kid had this horrible nightmare last night, and I tried to calm him down, but he pushed me off and just made this hot milk and vanilla thing. Did you used to do that for him?_ "

Regina sighed, realizing there was no real danger to Henry. Instead, she picked up the walkie talkie and carried it back with her to the table of the discarded groceries, slowly magically preserving what needed to be preserved while putting away items that could be stored.

She recalled many nights in Henry's toddler years when the Boogeyman or Doctor Doom haunted his dreams at night. Most times, she'd press his head against her heart, letting the beat and the combination of her rubbing his back lull him back to bed, but the odd time when that wouldn't sooth his fears, she'd take him by the hand, sit him on the counter and heat a mug of warm milk adding a splash of vanilla to it. She told him the vanilla was a magic potion to keep bad dreams away, and as the boy grew, he realized the true identity of his nightmare potion, though it never ceased to comfort him after a nightmare.

" _He's spending the night with Neal. I'm not thrilled about it, but I think I get it. Someone taking your kid from you. I get it_." Regina heard the blonde sigh tiredly as she continued. " _He won't say it, but he misses you. He keeps trying to bring up if I've found you yet, and I see him go out of his way to walk by your place._ "

Regina's ears perked up. Henry missed her? Her heart soared at the idea, but what confused the brunette most was that Emma was allowing it and had shared her discovery with her. What did Emma have to gain from revealing the truth? Maybe she wasn't as self-righteous as her parents after all.

" _You should come home._ "

Regina breathed in sharply. Definitely not like her parents.

The Sheriff was quiet for a long while, and Regina was convinced that Emma had finished for the night. She was very wrong, and she was nowhere prepared for the next words coming out of Emma's mouth. " _I hope you're okay._ "

The brunette gaped, staring at the radio dumbstruck. Regina didn't know for certain if Henry was concerned about her, but the tone of Emma's voice didn't leave room for doubt that she was absolutely genuine.

* * *

" _It's not you. You're not the 'she'._ "

Regina quickly scampered over to the walkie talkie where it waited on the side table by the chaise. A range of scenarios ran through her mind at Emma's excitement. She could come out of hiding. The town, Emma at least, knew she was innocent. It wasn't much, but it was a start, and as Emma continued to ramble on proclaiming that Regina wasn't 'she', Regina couldn't help but grin at Emma's infectious excitement.

Her grin faltered a moment at Emma's next words. " _I'm sorry. I'm sorry for thinking that it was._ "

Her lips tilted upwards in a shy smile when the blonde repeated herself, confident and sure. She was almost shocked to realize how pleased it made Regina feel to know that Emma was righting a wrong against her. No one had ever done that before.

As the blonde concocted ways to get some other woman into custody, Regina couldn't help but not feel so alone anymore.

* * *

Regina had waited for hours for Emma to speak into the radio, but as midnight came and went, the brunette found that she almost missed hearing Emma's voice nearly every night for the past month or so.

Static woke her up in the early hours of the morning when Emma toyed with the talk button. Rubbing sleep from out of her eyes, Regina sat up, grabbed the walkie talkie which she kept on the small table across from the single bed in her hideout and listened as Emma spoke softly into the radio.

" _My parents want to leave. To the Enchanted Forest. David and the dwarves, they've been harvesting magic beans._ "

Regina gasped out loud, tuning out the rest of Emma's words as she envisioned waking up one morning in her hideout, stepping out from the tomb to a deserted town. Gone were the people who hated her, but gone was Henry, and even Emma.

She got up quickly, cradling the device in her hands before quickly opening the hide-a-door and rushing out to the dewy morning light intent on letting Henry know what his grandparents were up to.

" _They want to go back. Even Henry does._ "

Regina stopped her track and leaned against the outer wall of the tomb, staring at the walkie talkie in disbelief. No. Henry wouldn't leave her. He couldn't. She needed him.

" _How am I gonna tell the kid I don't want to go? And if I tell him he's gonna pull the Saviour crap, and how it's my destiny to go and rule the people and bring everyone's happy endings back._ "

The brunette's fear quickly changed to confusion as she listened to Emma. Regina didn't have to see the blonde to know there was conflict behind green eyes and her brows would be furrowed in deep contemplation. She sat down on the steps of the mausoleum as Emma continued.

" _I don't want to be the Saviour. How am I gonna rule a freaking kingdom when I can't even remember to set my alarm at night?_ "

Regina couldn't help but smirk at Emma's truth, but she couldn't deny the sympathy that welled within her. Emma was completely out of her element, plucked from a world destined to rule another. The princess seemed to be learning something her mother never did. The world didn't revolve around happy endings. It revolved around people and how they were treated for it would take only one bad day to separate the sane from the psychotic.

" _I'm no queen. I'm no princess. I'm just me. No one seems to get that._ "

Regina couldn't believe the words coming out of Emma's mouth. An image of her younger self came to the forefront of her mind, begging to be seen and accepted as herself, and broken when she wasn't.

" _They don't get that I'm not this perfect child and I've never been._ "

If Regina knew anything it was about being someone you're not, and she had to learn that the hard way.

" _They labelled you too, didn't they? I've heard you've done bad things, but so have I, and I got the Saviour title. We could switch if you want? You're better at all this pressure and stuff._ "

Regina snorted, shielding her eyes from the rising sun. Like hell she'd willingly be responsible for all these ungrateful people's happy endings.

" _I wouldn't want to switch either if I were you. If you're the Evil Queen, you can only get better. If you're the Saviour, you have to be perfect._ "

The brunette furrowed her brow. She hadn't really thought about it that way. Regardless, it didn't matter how hard she tried to be better; the town was unforgiving. It was a shame they were wearing down their only Saviour. Emma seemed like genuinely one of the good ones.

Regina heard Emma laugh, surprised at hearing it directed to her. " _Isn't it weird that you're the perfectionist with everything in control and everything planned, but_ I'm _the Saviour? The fates must have gotten confused when they crossed our paths._ "

Regina smirked. She had to admit, given the brunette's controlling nature, she'd make a much more effective Saviour.

She leaned against the wall of the tomb, letting the warm rays of the sun touch her skin that had remained indoors for the better part of a month. " _You should see the sun wherever you are. It's really nice. It almost feels like a normal day_."

Regina looked at the radio then around her area. The statement was far too coincidental for her liking, but she could see no blonde Sheriff in sight. All she saw was the pink and orange of the rising sun. She supposed the sun wasn't too terrible to look at.

She stood up, ready to retreat inside when she heard Emma speak again. " _Stay safe, Regina. Not everyone wants you dead._ "

Regina stopped dead in her tracks looking at the walkie talkie in her hand. She knew the blonde must have some hero complex to put her life on the line for Regina numerous times, but never had she heard such sincerity and honest truth coming from anyone.

Put simply, Regina was starting to believe that Emma Swan actually cared about her.

* * *

Regina was coming in from another grocery run when her biggest fear settled deep within her stomach.

" _-and she's working with Greg, and they took Henry!_ "

She dropped the bags of grocery to the ground, tripping over rolling cans before scrambling to the radio nestled by her bed. She struggled to push the talk button in her panic to contact the blonde as quickly as possible, but by some miracle, she was able to do so. "Emma?"

There was nothing for a long moment. Regina moved to push the button again when the speaker sounded.

" _Regina?_ "


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in Chapter One
> 
> AN: Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts! You guys are seriously phenomenal, and you just make my day. Special thanks to Korderoo and SharpestKnifeInTheDrawer who helped talk me through this chapter. I really appreciate it :). Here's the final chapter of Static, and I really hope you like it! There's a lot more action in this one, but our two favourite ladies finally interact. Thanks so much for all your support!

" _Emma?_ "

"Regina?"

Emma held her breath wondering if in the midst of her panic she had misheard. She eyed the device in her hands, waiting for another breath of life.

" _Where's Henry?_ "

Emma's eyes widened as she clutched the walkie talkie tighter and brought it up to her lips. "Where the hell have you been? I've-"

A mist of purple smoke appeared in her room, and soon, she was face to face with the woman she had been inadvertently spilling all her secrets to. For a moment, neither of them moved. Regina was clutching the radio firmly against her chest, while the blonde simply stared at her dumbstruck.

It didn't pass the Sheriff's inspection of the older woman that Regina looked considerably paler, her skin having lost its usually tanned glow and her eyes dark and dim. Despite fighting with this woman for nearly a year, the months where she was missing made its presence known in Emma's mind. The larger than life personality of the brunette before her was suddenly gone, replaced with the task of being Emma's personal diary. Here she was, in the flesh and blood. A woman who knew all of Emma's inner secrets and thoughts. A woman who on repeated occasions tried to kill her and her family. A woman who now possessed so much on the blonde Saviour, standing before her looking frightened, disheveled, and panicking.

"Where's Henry?" Regina repeated, more insistent this time. She tucked the radio into her jacket pocket when Emma continued to gawk at her.

"Tamara and Greg."

"You said that," Regina replied annoyed. "Why do they have my son?"

Emma shook her was sadly and ashamed. "I don't know."

Regina ran a hand through her hair, tugging it slightly to attempt to ease the panic settling deep within her. She needed to think clearly.

"All I know," Emma began, "is that they found the bean fields. They burned it. We think they might have kept a few for themselves."

Regina nodded. The unspoken agreement that Regina didn't need to be filled in on the happenings of the town hung in the air as the brunette turned to march out of the room. "Let's go."

* * *

Emma and Regina ran quickly out of the apartment. As soon as they hit the pavement, they nearly collided into Snow and Charming.

"Regina!" Snow gasped both transfixed on the woman before her while clearly struggling to avert her gaze.

The brunette's hand twitched.

"We can't find him anywhere," David said to Emma, glancing at Regina out of the corner of his eye.

"Where could they be?" Emma clutched a hand to her forehead before dropping it to her side. The moment of vulnerability passed just as soon as it came, and soon the blonde looked sternly to her parents. "We're going to go find him and bring him back. You stay here just in case Tamara and Greg do anything else."

Snow's lips parted in protest when she threw a glance at Regina, but the older brunette simply snarled, turning when she felt Emma tug her and immediately ran to keep up with the blonde.

"Do you plan on locating him simply by running around, Sheriff?" Regina asked snippily.

"Would you rather we hide and hope it all blows over, your Majesty?" Emma replied smartly turning off of her street.

They ran past downtown, ignoring the shocked gasps of citizens as they pointed at the reemergence of the Evil Queen, though some were shocked at the fact that said Queen was running alongside their Saviour.

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's words and was loathed to find herself following the blonde as she weaved through the streets finally reaching the harbour.

"I found sand in Neal's closet," Emma explained.

"The last thing I want to hear is about your lover's spat!" Regina yelled. "We need to find Henry!"

"You asked and I answered!" The blonde yelled back. "Just shut up and listen for five minutes."

"What do you think I've been doing for the last two months?" Regina glared.

Emma paused to stare at the woman.

There it was. Regina had brought into the open everything that could destroy Emma.

For a moment, Emma looked frightened, but there was a sense of relief in her eyes that confused the brunette. Regina held her gaze, mentally scorning herself. She was hoping they could forget about all that she had heard.

A ruckus caught their attention when up ahead, they noticed Tamara on Hook's ship, all ready to set sail, the captain unconscious on the pier, and Greg carrying a struggling bulk over his shoulder.

Henry.

The two mothers caught each other's eye just before they sprinted towards the Jolly Roger.

The ship was pulling out of the dock, and even from their distance they could see the triumphant smirk on Greg's face as he unceremoniously dropped the squirming eleven-year old and began tying him up.

"It's pulling away," Regina gasped, bypassing a fallen Hook, as the distance between ship and dock increased.

"Jump."

Regina turned her head to make sure she had heard right. "What?"

"Jump." Emma grabbed her arm, their speed increasing as she ran towards the edge of the dock and jumped, the brunette forced to follow suit.

They glided through the air, Emma's hand clutched firmly around Regina's forearm as Regina held onto Emma's wrist for dear life. They were just able to grab onto the edge of a life boat strapped firmly halfway down the ship's side.

Emma glanced upwards, holding her breath to see if they had been spotted but breathed out relieved when no one peered over the edge. She whipped her head to the side to see Regina struggle to hold onto the edge. Pulling herself up and into the life boat, Emma leaned over and yanked the brunette up under the arms and tugged her haphazardly in. Her hand covered the brunette's mouth when Emma was sure Regina was going to snap at her for the manhandling, but they weren't in a position to be caught right now. Receiving a bony elbow to the ribs, Emma released her.

"What the hell was that?" Regina hissed, putting distance between them from when they toppled over.

"They don't know we're here," Emma stated obviously. "We've got the advantage. We find out what their plan is and we get Henry."

"Your priority may not be Henry, but mine is." the brunette held her chin up high.

"Yeah, abandoning the kid for almost two months really gets you the parent of the year award, Regina," the blonde snorted as she eyed the ropes that would allow them to pull the boat up to deck level.

"Coming from the woman who abandoned their baby for ten years."

"Parenting advice from the Evil Queen? I think I'll pass."

There was a moment of hostile silence between the two women. Whatever had transpired the last two months was thrown out the window as soon as their frustration settled in. Both were visibly tense, annoyed, and worried. Both had their child ripped away from them, and judging by their hot-heated and stubbornness, it was a deadly combination.

Emma sighed trying to calm down.

After three deep breaths and assessing the way Regina wrapped her arms around her chest defensively, Emma spoke. "Look I'm-"

"What do you want with me?" Henry's frightened voice sounded above them and both women craned their necks to hear.

"We're not going to hurt you," Greg said. "You don't have to grow up with people like that anymore."

"Those people will never hurt you again." This time Tamara spoke.

"No, you tied me up. I don't want to go with you."

"It's just for the ride," Greg said. "As soon as we're away from the harbour it's going to get very, very bumpy."

Regina gasped as the ship sailed by the last of the fishing boats venturing into clear waters. "They have a bean."

Emma's eyes widened at the realization, and before she knew it, she wrapped her hand around the rope and pulled herself up.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked watching the blonde climb a few paces.

"Getting Henry back."

That was all the incentive Regina needed to begin climbing up the other rope holding up the life boat. More than once did the brunette slip on the damp wood, but she ground her heeled boot and kept her trajectory upwards.

It took nearly ten minutes for either woman to reach the deck of the ship, and by then the ship was firmly in the middle of the ocean. Regina and Emma kept their bodies pressed to the side until the self-righteous tone of Tamara asking Greg if he was ready made Regina lose all semblance of being stealthy and lifted herself over onto the ship.

With grace, she stood tall, glaring at her son's captors as they gaped at her wondering where the hell she had come from. Emma, shocked to be left behind, followed suit, standing just behind the brunette with a similar hatred etched on her face.

"Mom!" Henry yelled towards the two women, a rope tied around his waist with the rest of the line tied firmly to the ship's mast.

Tamara tilted her head, her lip twitching upwards. "Looks like we have stowaways." She pointed her head towards Regina. "We've been looking for you, your Highness."

Emma's eyes flashed to Regina, catching the older woman's stoic profile.

"Save it," the brunette snarled.

"Don't you want to know why?" Greg grinned, his eyes glinting with wickedness.

"I'd much rather have my son."

The man chuckled. "See, you took my father, and now, I'm taking your son, and with this," he paused to point to a bag of magic beans Tamara was carrying, "we'll rid the entire universe of people like you."

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try." During his speech with his gaze solely centred on Regina, neither Greg nor Tamara noticed Emma inching away towards the nearly empty barrels of ale Hook kept on the ship. It was only when the blonde spoke, a barrel held over her head before it hurtled towards them did they register their mistake.

"Get Henry and turn this ship around!" Emma ordered Regina who immediately went to their son, fingers working frantically to undo the knot at his waist.

Emma charged at the fallen captors, kicking the gun out of Tamara's hand watching it hit the deck and go off, the bullet embedding itself into a barrel of rum as the alcohol spilled out onto the deck.

"Be careful!" Regina yelled at her, finally getting Henry free and using her body as a shield around him.

Emma mentally rolled her eyes as she scrapped with Tamara on the ground, elbows colliding with ribs, knees connecting with stomachs and nails scratching down faces as she fought furiously to rid the other woman of the beans. "Next time I'll set the gun down gently!" Emma ground out narrowly missing a punch to the face.

By the mast, Regina shielded Henry from the chaos, running to get him over to the helm when a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to the ground. Greg stood over her, anger and hatred in his eyes as he reached into his pocket. Regina had no doubt there was a gun located there and without a moment's hesitation, she screamed at Henry to run.

The boy didn't listen. He kicked Greg from behind causing the man to double over clutching his crotch in agony.

Henry, though still quite shaken, smirked to himself. "Emma taught me that."

Regina scrambled up and held Henry close to her as they ran. "At least your mother was able to pass on something useful."

On the main deck, Emma grabbed the darker woman to send her careening into a pile of crates. She could see a limping and groaning Greg run after Regina and Henry. She paused in her attack as she watched the man point his gun directly at the older woman's back.

"Regina-" Her yell was cut off when she toppled onto Tamara, Regina having given the wheel a full hundred and eighty degree spin causing the ship to turn abruptly.

Emma breathed out relieved when she looked up to see that the older brunette had a firm grasp onto Henry and a hand on the wheel with Greg collapsed on the lower level deck at the base of the helm. Just as the man groaned and moved to get up, Regina grabbed a sword from Hook's collection on the side of the wheel and hacked at a key rope. The lowest pole from the mizzenmast came hurtling down on top of Greg keeping the man pinned and knocked unconscious.

Emma dropped her head, relieved Regina and Henry were safe for the time being to look down at the other unconscious body that provided her with a soft landing. She stood catching Regina's eye and nodded the unanswered question.

Everyone was all right.

Retrieving the bag of beans, it was easy enough to collect the dead weight of Tamara and Greg from the wreckage and strap them to the base of the main mast. When she looked back up, she saw Regina smile warmly down at Henry who was now in control of the wheel before the older woman stepped back, leaning against the rails to habitually give him space while keeping an eye on him.

Emma nudged at the unconscious bodies with her foot for good measure before jogging up to the helm and hugging Henry tightly.

"You found my mom," Henry said with the hint of a smile.

Emma just returned the gesture before providing her own kiss to his head and walking towards the older woman whose eyes were glued onto Henry's back. The blonde said nothing as she leaned back against the rail beside Regina, both refusing to take an eye off of their son.

For a long moment, nothing was said between the two. The only sound in the background was that of the lapping of the waves and the caw of seagulls. It'd be a while yet before they reached the coastline, and Emma knew they needed to talk.

Keeping her eyes trained on Henry, Emma whispered low enough for only the brunette to hear. "All those things I said, were you listening?"

She watched the deep rise and fall of Regina's chest from the corner of her eye. She wondered if Regina had even heard her but she got her answer in the form of a reply. "It's about time someone did, isn't it?"

Neither reacted though Emma's pulse quickened at Regina's admission.

"I was just-"

"Thank you," Regina insisted, cutting off Emma. She didn't have to look at the blonde to know she was confused. "For keeping me updated on Henry."

Emma nodded her understanding.

"And apologizing," Regina whispered, her eyes downcast briefly before bringing them up to Henry again.

"I didn't want to make the same mistake twice."

"Perhaps I could take a lesson in that," the brunette admitted dryly.

Emma smirked before grimacing again. "Your mom-"

"It's fine." Regina noticeably tensed.

"It's not," Emma insisted.

The brunette turned her head to the side, her fingers brushing quickly under her eyes before returning a now steely gaze at Henry. The tension remained thick around them, Emma unsure how to proceed and Regina just wanting to forget.

"It's not easy, is it?" The brunette whispered.

This time it was Emma whose gaze turned cold and detached. "No." She took a breath before continuing. "It's like they watch your every move-"

"And before you've even made it they already have their opinion of you."

"And if you don't meet it they get disappointed," the blonde added.

"Or brush you off," Regina said quietly.

They were quiet again. Neither had looked to the other since Emma came to stand beside the brunette. Finally the blonde chuckled, bringing out the bag of beans. "Imagine a world where no one knew us."

"That's what Storybrooke was for me," Regina said chancing a glance at the beans in Emma's hand.

"Until I came," the blonde said as an observation, malice long gone from her tone.

"You  _are_  quite stubborn," the older woman commented, her tone almost teasing.

"As stubborn as you are vindictive," Emma retorted mimicking her tone.

"And the labels are back on." This time Regina turned to finally look at Emma, the younger woman moving to lock their eyes.

Over the course of the year, they were eager participants in this staring contest they so frequently had with one another, but this time it was different. The fire in both brown and jade eyes were gone replaced with something softer, lighter and far more vulnerable than either of the women were willing to admit. In this moment, standing on a ship bound for Storybrooke, a town filled with angry fairy tale characters, with two psychotic kidnappers unconscious on the deck, and their son steering the ship, they were no longer the Evil Queen or the Saviour. They weren't even Mayor Mills or Sheriff Swan.

For now, they were simply Regina and Emma, teamed together for the love of their son, and for once, not arguing, but seeing the other for who she truly was.

A particularly harsh wave jarred them from their locked gazes, and Emma turned to look as they were approaching Storybrooke's harbour. She offered a shy smile before pushing off the railing to go check on Henry.

"Emma," Regina called out, her hand outstretched ready to tug the blonde but finding it useless when she already turned. "Why?"

Emma furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Why did you care whether I was okay or not?" The older woman asked determined.

"About time someone did, isn't it?" The younger woman reiterated Regina's words before she gave a weak smile and then made her way to Henry.

Regina watched Emma drape an arm around Henry. She grinned softly when the boy turned his head to look behind him, smiling back at her before facing forward once more.

* * *

No one near the helm was aware that Tamara had gained consciousness and had managed to weave an arm free from her restraints making it loose enough to escape but stayed still not to draw attention to herself. No one knew that Storybrooke's latest stranger had kept a single bean in her jacket pocket for an emergency just like this one. No one knew until she managed to toss the bean overboard and a portal opened up by the ship's port.

* * *

Emma could see the minuscule outlines of Snow and Charming on the edge of the dock as they approached. She waved with Henry, but she was suddenly thrust to the side when the ship jerked suddenly. "Easy on the driving, kid."

"I didn't do anything," Henry looked at the wheel confused.

Emma turned to look at Regina to see if the older woman had an answer, but when she caught the brunette staring wide-eyed at the ocean, she rushed to see what had made her mute. She didn't have to go very far to see the all-too familiar circle of purple and blue spring from waves as it crackled with magic growing bigger and bigger by the second, sucking in a poor canoe wading in the bay.

"How-"

Before Emma could finish her question, the ship lurched sideways towards the vortex, the rudder and mast no use against the power of the portal. The blonde fell onto Regina as they scrambled near the railing nearly knocking them into the icy water. She looked up to see Henry on his knees, holding onto the wheel for dear life.

The ship continued to rock and sway towards the portal, and with a great deal of effort, Emma managed to pull herself into a standing position, taking hold of any stationary object to keep her upright. It was then she noticed Tamara escaping her hold and cutting at the ropes to free a disoriented Greg.

"I'm gonna kill them," Emma growled grabbing the sword Regina had used. She was set on running towards the two people who had caused her nothing but trouble since their arrival. Saviour or not, these people were done for.

Regina grabbed Emma's arm and thrust her towards Henry. "Leave them. Keep yourself and Henry tied down and hold on." There was conflict in green eyes, but Regina sent her a glare. "They're not worth it."

With some difficulty, Emma dropped the sword to the ground with force and scrambled towards Henry.

The waves crashed ferociously against the sides of the ship, and soon the portal's strength became too overwhelming. Emma managed to hold Henry against her, finding wayward rope to tie it around his waist and tied the end through the loops of the wheel. She only managed to tie another rope through the wheel when another harsh wave and pull of the portal had her losing her grip. Frantically she managed to secure herself to the ship and held tightly onto Henry.

Regina stood tall near the stern and opened her palms against the fierce winds. She nodded to herself when she saw that the Sheriff was following orders for once and directed her attention to the masts, summoning her magic to pull them out of the portal's path. She was vaguely aware of Tamara and Greg jumping off the ship and disappearing into the portal, but all be damned if her son wound up in a realm that was not this one.

Purple sparks emitted from her palms until it stretched and covered the ship in its entirety. Her vein on her forehead bulged from exertion and her brow sweat as she forced herself to continue, to push harder to get them away.

The wood from the masts were snapping at the resistance of her magic combined with the force of the portal's pull. Her concentration broke momentarily causing the ship to suddenly lurch further into the portal's path.

"Regina!" Emma called. "Just get over here!"

The brunette ignored her and continued to push on. With every ounce of strength, the ship was slowly pulling away, the wind gradually dying down. She allowed herself to relax momentarily, a moment that would cost her when a beam snapped clean from its restraints and swung directly at the unsuspecting brunette.

"Mom!"

"Regina!"

Regina looked up, but despite her attempts to move out of the way, the beam nicked her with enough force to send her scrambling backwards, momentum from the beam and the still rocky nature of the ship had her toppling over the ledge.

The only relief Regina felt was that the ship was safely out of the portal's way when she clamoured over the Jolly Roger. The image of the water beneath her was dark and murky and it'd be fitting that she be taken into another realm. Perhaps there she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, save for Tamara and Greg who were sure to turn up on the other side. She descended lower, accepting fate when a body collided into her.

The impact made them crash against the side of the boat where they hung limply from a mere rope.

"Emma?" Regina realized feeling the blonde struggle to keep a firm grasp around her and the rope that kept them attached to the ship.

The Sheriff couldn't answer, instead silently thanked the fact that the portal closed and called up to Henry from above. "Pull us up, kid!"

* * *

Regina and Emma toppled over the side of the ledge, their bodies collapsing on the deck as they panted from yet another climb up the ship. They remained on the floor, and when they finally made eye contact, the situation, surreal and absurd, made them smile before the ship suddenly stopped.

"Emma! Henry!"

Snow and Charming's voice sounded and soon they were on board the ship, engulfing Henry in a tight hug.

"We thought we lost you," Snow sobbed.

"Come on," David said helping Henry and Snow off the ship and patting Emma's shoulder as she stood. "Let's celebrate Henry's return at Granny's."

* * *

Regina stared up at the daunting mansion, the place she hadn't called home for months. Like with Snow and Emma's return from the Enchanted Forest, a procession of the Charmings and their followers made their way to Granny's, and just like last time, Regina had been left alone.

She sighed, opening up the door to the house and stepping into the empty mansion. Resignedly, she climbed up the steps, prepared to lie in her bed, hating herself for waiting for the moment when Henry needed her again, for another turmoil to befall Storybrooke and her magic would be needed.

She shut the door and made her way to the bed, shrugging her jacket off.

" _Regina?_ "

The brunette furrowed her brow, turning around expecting to see Emma standing there. Instead her jacket crackled with static. " _Regina?_ "

She dug through the trench coat to produce the long forgotten walkie talkie she had stowed away in her coat. "Emma?"

The blonde audibly sighed. " _I thought you'd disappear on me again._ "

"Maybe I'm learning my lessons after all," Regina replied with a smirk.

" _You didn't follow,_ " Emma said through the device.

"I don't think we've quite hit the point where my past is water under the bridge."

" _If I have to suffer through this dinner, then so do you_ ," Emma plainly stated.

"Why is that?"

There was a knock on her bedroom door. Regina turned and opened it, gaping at the blonde on the other side.

Emma dropped the radio down to her side before speaking, cutting off Regina's inquisition. "So I can tell the town that you used your magic for good, and despite their perfect Saviour's sudden need for bloodlust, you stopped me."

"You're inviting me to dinner again?" Regina asked tentatively.

"It won't be like last time," the blonde promised.

"I don't know-"

"No more labels," Emma said stepping into the room and extending her hand. "I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

Regina raised an eyebrow at the proffered hand.

"I'm Henry's birth mother. I see you have cider, but would you like to come get something to eat?" The blonde tried again.

Regina internally smirked at the gesture though her eyes were still clouded with uncertainty. They couldn't erase the past. They couldn't erase their sins or who their parents were or the animosity between their two families.

But they could try.

It was a long shot that the Charmings would ever allow Regina into their ever-elite band of followers, or would they ever see their daughter as anything less than perfect. The promise that at least one person in this world saw their true nature was motivation enough to put aside their differences.

Mentally kicking herself at Emma's less than tactful way of starting over, Regina shook Emma's hand, catching the younger woman's eye with intent and sincerity. "Regina Mills."

**THE END**


End file.
